Brewer's: Gyrfalcon, Gerfalcon

or Jerfalcon. A native of Iceland and Norway, highest in the list of hawks for falconry, “Gyr,” or “Ger,” is, I think, the Dutch gier, a vulture. It is called the “vulture-falcon” because, like the vulture, its beak is not toothed. The common etymology from hieros, sacred, “because the Egyptians held the hawk to be sacred,” is utterly worthless. Besides Ger-falcons, we have Gier-eagles, Lammer-geiers, etc. (See Hawk.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language